Violin shoulder rests have been used in the prior art to promote neck and back comfort for the musician, particularly when the violin is played for extended periods of time. While the instrument is being played, it is held in position by the musician by pressing against the chin rest located on the front face of the violin which in turn forces the back face to bear against the musician's shoulder area. Although it is desirable for violin shoulder rests to be of extremely light weight, most shoulder rests of the prior art are relatively heavy, usually made of metal, and clamped to the violin. Metal clamps are potentially damaging to the fine finished wood of the violin because the metal clamping action exposes the finished surface of wood to surface striations. Air bags have also been used in the prior art as shoulder rests and the bags are clamped to the violin in a manner similar to the metal rests; the air bag unfortunately has a tendency to slide on the rear surface of the violin consequently causing the musician to frequently alter his neck and back position in order to securely hold the violin. Air bags also have a tendency because of their flush bearing against the backside of the violin to dampen its sound. The shoulder rest device of this invention is made of an elastic material, preferably a polyurethane foam material which contains a plurality of elevated engagement regions or surfaces which are integrally formed and bear against the backside of the violin. The elevated engagement surfaces prevent a flush engagement between the backside of the violin and the shoulder rest thereby minimizing the bearing surface and the dampening of the sound of the violin. The engagement surfaces also securely grip the instrument thereby allowing the musician to move his shoulders and hands more freely while keeping the instrument steady.